Stratagem

Action

When the enemy is dealing with uncertainty and is
distraction, move stealthily up on
them or attack away from their attention.

Create more chaos to make them twist and turn, becoming more confused at each
moment. Then use this confusion to gain further advantage.

Be prepared and ready for confused situations, keeping resources in reserve.
Also always stay alert for small changes that indicate confusion is either about
to appear or that you have a window of opportunity to cause it.

Number

This is the twentieth stratagem of thirty-six.

Group name

Stratagems for
Confused Situations

Alternative names

Muddle the Waters to Catch the Fish

Gather Fish From Troubled Waters

Stir up the Waters to catch a Fish

Or even:

Take Advantage of Confusion

Use Chaos

History

In the chaos after the mighty Cao Cao was defeated, Liu Bei established the
kingdom of Shu taking the strategic Yangtse city of Jinzhou. He then took Yizhou
while internal struggles distracted the dominant forces there.

There have always been those who take advantage of confused and difficult
situations, such as the 'spivs' of World War 2 who operated a black market in
desirable goods. Modern business, too, can make huge gains by managing
uncertainty and change better than their competitors.

Discussion

In times of confusion, people may find it difficult to differentiate between
distractions and things which are really important. You can use both to your
advantage, providing distractions for competitors and authoritatively telling
your targets what is most important. This latter approach works particularly
well because in times of uncertainty people look to others for guidance.

Causing chaos can be seen in movies where the action hero sets off alarms,
creates explosions, and so on and then slips in to save the day. Ordinary people
may also be shown becoming heroes as they step up to save the day in chaotic
situations that range from war to earthquakes.

One of the most important factors that let you take advantage of chaos is
readiness. If you have the resources and plans already in place, then you can
respond quickly to opportunities. This is one of the techniques of modern risk
management. For this to work you need to plan ahead, seeing possibilities and
then staying alert to catch the weak beginnings of chaos.